Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. I don't have any kids, so I was

thankful, I guess, that during those early years of COVID, I didn't have to make that decision

of whether or not to send my kid back to school. The debate over school closures is loaded with

party politics, labor politics,

race, gender, class, and of course, that very big feeling of making sure your kid is okay,

which by and large, they are not. That's something Anya Kamenetz talks about in her new book,

The Stolen Year. Cominets was an education reporter at NPR during COVID, and her book covers what exactly

happened that led to the extended school closures we experienced here in the state, unique

compared to other wealthy countries.

And she says in this interview with NPR Steve Inskeep that the damage that loss caused is going to take a huge,

concerted communal effort to course correct.

In the U.S., national security news can feel far away from daily life.

Distant wars, murky conflicts, diplomacy behind closed doors on our new show, sources and methods.

NPR reporters on the ground bring you stories of real people helping you understand why distant events matter here at home.

Listen to sources and methods on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

In 2020, when the pandemic spread, Anya Kaminetz was covering education for NPR news. Schools closed.

Many shifted to remote learning for up to a year. Anya covered it all and now sums up what her

reporting also showed in real time. Extended closings were a calamity for education and she says they may not

even have saved many lives.

The United States kept more of its schools and more of its students home longer than any other

wealthy country, and at the same time is currently boasting the highest per capita death rate

from COVID of any wealthy country. The U.S. could have opened schools while keeping restaurants closed. Instead, many places

...